The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-10-29
HISTORIC sAssEIN.
q visit to Dead and Ruined Portuguese
City In india.

q visit TO . Dead and Ruined Portuguese
City In India.
Aftnr frugal breakfast, engaged
) bullock cart for the four miles and
n half to the town or fort of old Bassein.
There are no springs to the typical
bullock cart, and your best position II
to sit fiat on the bottom Of the con-
trivance. II you have tuft of hay fol
. cushion, that is clear gain. My two
little bullocks started off in frisky style,
and in an hour was within the mar
row and winding streets Of the town
which has grown up outside the old
one, and yet must have had its be-
ginrings even during the existence of
the original Bassein. The scenery
from the station to Bassein proper is
charming, and l thoroughly enjoyed
it, Notwithstanding the many and
almost dislocating motions of the cart.
Fields of rice and various other grain
stretch out on either hand. Here and
there was pond which was all radiant
with the sacred lotus in full flower and
fragrance. One of the most conspicuous
| objects on getting fairly into the village
was a ruined church. Its wall and roof
were entire, but it was in wretched
condition. Its windows were curiosity,
| the first / had seen in India where the
panes were of the pearl-oyster she'll,
cut thin, and about an inch and half
.quare. This was the Portuguese win
low. The labor of making great win
aows of such small pieces of shell neatly
;ut and smoothed must have been
immense, even for one building. At
least one-half the light was obstructed
py the shell strata, and when one adds
this the wooden framing for the
hells, there must have been a con-
iderable addition to the semi-opaque-
ness. But then this is India, and it is
lways study to keep out the glare OF
che sun.
soon left the town behind, and
came upon II rising ground by wind.
ng road, through thick grove oi
mango and peepul trees. OF to the
left stood the grim ruins of the old fort
l had now crossed the bridge, and st
had passed upon the island of Bassein
which is about four miles long and two
miles broad. This, nearly three cen
turies ago, was avery paradise OF Portu
guese enterprise and luxury ON the one
hand, and of Jesuit worldly wisdom OF
on the other. Amy way that l nigh
turn brought me face to face with som,
vast ruined cathedral. Now it wa
only the bare walls without ceiling o.
roof, and then found myself walkin:
over the marble slabs, with nearl,
effaced inscriptions, which covered th'
dust of Portuguese ecclesiastics ant
fidalgos. The dead underlay the entir
nave and choir of the church. Some o
the towers leaned at threatening angles
and yet in several cases it seemed saf
enough to climb to the top of the wal
and overlook this weird scene of ruin
There were arches which rose in grace
, full curves from one side of the porta
to tho other. Yet ut the keystone ther
. was depression in many instance
q which made it the part of wisdom no
to linger directly in the neighborhoo
of any of them. Occasionally the cen
trail part of the wall had fallen outright
J and left the jagged ends of the ruin O
u either hand.
~ Great pains had been taken to orna
ment the choir. Here was an elaborat
!, sculpture, only fragments of whic
- could be seen in scattered pediment
and capitals, and bits of the carve
+ shafts themselves. Where the wal
II had been less disturbed by the ravage
y of war and the elements there sti
IL remained tablets in memory of ecclesi
astic or civic officers whose lamp {
y life had gone out here, far away frol
's the dear Portugal which they left b.
II hind, but hoped in every case to sc
q again and die beneath the wester
e sun.-Btshop Hurst, IN Harper's Mag
20 zine.